Many had lost all hope, most had accepted defeat, but few would’ve envisioned this positive outcome. At long last, the annual varsity event between the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Worcester has returned and will take place from the 17-20th May at Oxstalls campus in Gloucester.
This year’s competition will be slightly different to previous years as the event would usually be spread throughout a week during April across both universities, however the 2021 tournament will be held exclusively at Gloucester.
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Members of both universities are still awaiting a concrete decision over the number of spectators allowed to watch the events, but Gloucestershire men’s football first-team manager Jack Rutter hasn’t let that affect his spirit.
“After the tough period we’ve just gone through, I think we all deserve a bit of positivity out of this year, so being back at training and having a varsity match is brilliant for all of us”, says Rutter.
Rutter’s side had a fantastic end to the last campaign, winning their first league title in over 10 years and achieving promotion to Western League 1. However, due to the pandemic the team’s celebrations were cut short and the team were unable to play in last year’s varsity match.
“It’s caused a lot of frustration, we won the league last year and couldn’t have a proper celebration at all. We were gearing up for varsity last year brimming with confidence and we couldn’t even play it, which was so disappointing because we had a brilliant squad and a great chance of winning.
“It’s been a really sad time for everybody at the university, from lecturers to coaches and students who haven’t been able to socialise or go out properly, so it’s been a terrible time for people at university.”
Despite the recent struggles university sports clubs have faced, things are beginning to look up for both Gloucestershire and Worcester, and hopefully the power of sports will show once more that it can have the defining say in lifting spirits and uniting the community.
